


Bittersweet Longing

by Deku_Lily



Series: Fantasies of the Ebott Multiverse [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 110 percent canon to Burlesque Kamari said so!, Burlesque-Relationship - Freeform, Dance is a dumb-dumb that needs to pull his head out of his ass, Multi, Pining, Rust-Relationship, SOUL Mechanics (Undertale), Tango-Relationship, Unrequited Crush, confusing a prude, embarrassing a prude, i'm sorry Kamari but he does, obsession with watermelons, too much of a good thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 18:24:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15891534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deku_Lily/pseuds/Deku_Lily
Summary: Dance can't get Red out of his head. His cravings aren't helping. At all.





	Bittersweet Longing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kamari333](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamari333/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Burlesque (Censored)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11542425) by [Kamari333](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamari333/pseuds/Kamari333). 
  * Inspired by [Burlesque (Uncensored)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15372225) by [Kamari333](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamari333/pseuds/Kamari333). 



> This is just a little something I wrote for Kamari333. I love their story Burlesque, and felt like tormenting a prude. lol XD I love watermelons, myself, but boi haz issues, if you know what I mean. ;3 Please enjoy my nonsense. ^w^

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The first time Dance saw a watermelon, he didn’t really know what he was looking at.

  
To be fair, they hadn’t been grown in the Underground. Even the artificial flavorings in MTT-brand food hadn’t included watermelon. Adding to the confusion was the fact that, although watermelons were green on the outside, they were red on the inside, not the pink color human products gave their artificial flavor called “watermelon.”  
  
Thankfully, a nice human that worked at the store taught him a little about the things, mainly what to look for in a good melon. He’d bought one that day to share it with his brother and didn’t really think about it, again. Not until much, much later.  
  
He was dating a wonderful monster named Lust, who was also dating someone Dance never thought he would be associating with in a million years. Someone with enough LOVE to crush him like a grape. But after the three of them went on a vacation Dance learned something about Red that went completely against the larger monster’s tough-guy exterior.  
  
His aura smelled like sweet, ripe watermelon, with just a dash of salt.  
  
But why watermelon? Okay, yeah, the way Red’s bones changed color during that backrub was obvious enough. Monsters might’ve had less determination than humans, but they still had it. That tinted a monster’s magic either pink or red, so it wasn’t surprising that Red’s body lit up like a Gyftmas tree in those (beautiful, stunning, abso-fucking-lutely _gorgeous_ ) colors. It was just an expression of his soul, no mystery there.  
  
The real mystery was the scent that wafted into the back of Dance’s nasal cavity at the same time. It’d been so strong he could taste it, and he hadn’t stopped tasting it ever since. Mainly because he had the mother of all cravings and couldn’t stop buying watermelon-flavored drinks. He wanted to stop, but at the same time he couldn’t. Not when it was as close as he’d ever get to satisfying the _stupid_ crush he’d developed on that brute.  
  
But _why watermelon?_ He didn’t think Red knew what they were any more than _he_ had before monsters started living on the surface. Why would Red’s soul send that scent into the room, making both Dance and Lust salivate for it?  
  
Irritated by his craving, Dance sullenly walked up to the watermelons at the grocery store. They were a bit out-of-season but his craving demanded satisfaction, and artificial flavors just weren’t cutting it anymore. That was when he saw it.  
  
The melon looked like it’d seen better days. Its rind was etched with little crosshatch patterns. Although the scratches were shallow, the melon was practically covered in the marks. It looked like it’d just been picked, too, some dirt ground into the scratches and a thin layer discoloring the rind in places.  
  
It was just fine, otherwise. Big, heavy for its size, no sloshing when shaken, and the yellow patch of rind where it’d sat on the ground was the color of a perfectly ripe specimen of its species. It just… looked rough.  
  
Dance took it home without another thought. He cradled it in his arms like it was something precious, and he hated the thoughts of Red that filled his mind as he did.  
  
It was the tastiest fucking watermelon he’d ever had. Adding just a dash of salt to each slice as he ate made it taste _exactly_ the way Red’s aura smelled. Dance was glad Papyrus was out of the house, because he was moaning like Lust did during lovemaking. The experience was almost orgasmic, and Dance _hated_ himself for taking bite after bite and thinking “is this what Red would taste like?”  
  
Red hated him. His stupid crush wasn’t going to go anywhere, so why did he keep torturing himself like this?! He sought the answer in slice after slice of fruit, but it never gave him one. Not even getting a mouthful of bitterness as he bit too close to the rind gave him any idea. And he _couldn’t stop eating_ …  
  
Green and red. Kindness and determination. They shouldn’t be able to mix, and yet here they were. But what did it mean when the soul of a monster, who probably still hadn’t eaten a watermelon, mimicked the exact taste and smell of one in a moment of relaxed bliss? Why mimic something green and red?  
  
Well, the red was obvious enough, but _green?_ Just where the hell did kindness come into play in a guy like Red?! Kindness let you put others before yourself. It made you empathetic, and helped you put yourself in another’s shoes. It let you trust in others. That couldn’t be Red!  
  
…who looked out for both him and Lust whenever they were all in the same room, or as they walked down the sidewalk.  
  
…who tried not to trigger him after witnessing one of his panic attacks.  
  
…and who was trusting both him _and_ Lust with his back, when his chipped bones indicated that trust should’ve been the last thing on his mind.  
  
Dance stared at the scarred rind in his hand, running his thumb over the marks. Kindness had a downside, too. It could paralyze you, leaving you helpless as life sent its worst at you. You _had_ to put up a defense if you were going to make it through. And being a clawed, sharp-toothed, intimidating asshole was probably as effective as anything.  
  
Maybe, just maybe, the notion wasn’t as far-fetched as it first seemed. Dance wasn’t sure if he wanted to follow that trail of thought, however. He was probably reading too much into things. God knew it wouldn’t be the first time.  
  
He realized he’d eaten half of a watermelon the size and weight of a small child. He put the rest away in the fridge before tidying up the empty rinds. He stared at the one from the end where he’d started, the convex surface bearing a peculiar pattern. It almost looked like the spider web of healed injuries on Red’s scapula, if he tilted his head and squinted his eyelights…  
  
Crush-struck fool he was, Dance picked up it and brought it to his teeth for a kiss as he thought of Red.  
  
Of course, that very moment _had_ to be when Papyrus came home and into the kitchen. He managed to give his brother some bullshit excuse for acting like a dope, but it was a close thing.  
  
He told himself, again, that these feelings were pointless. Maybe one day he’d believe himself. Until then, watermelons were going to be a thing in his life.  


 


End file.
